Bangkok trip May 2016 -Karmakamet Diner

It was another trip back to the Land of Smiles. While it seemed to be just another trip to Bangkok, deep down, I knew it would be a few days of fun and excitement when I looked at the places we have planned to visit. With an added member to the Nightwatch Gang in Christine, the trip was promised to be filled with conquests of different places of food  and coupled with fun and laughter nearly 90% of the time, the trip was fantastic and lived true to its promise. To add the icing to the cake, we also met many nice people including entertaining drivers and hotel staff. One driver even joked that he will probably stay in jail all the time if he was to live in Singapore. Nearly all the cab drivers who know Singapore were impressed by our governance and despite the tough rules here, they felt it was better than what they have in Thailand. However, despite the advancement standard of our human lives and despite it being even taught as a topic to my students, poverty remains a stark existence in Bangkok. Despite the tall Paragons and shopping centres, one could see hungry and homeless people entrenched right in the heart of the city. It is sad and the feeling was no different to what I had seen years ago where I met 3 beggars on an overhead bridge wondering what and how they would live their lives in a busy area like Bangkok.

During this trip, one of the most outstanding places we had visited was Karmakamet Diner. This place has been blogged before and can be easily found with rave reviews from other visitors. Of course, there were the occasional entries giving stick to its 'slow' service or 'long' waiting time for the food to arrive. What made this place more intriguing was its location. It was not easy to find and there was no BTS station just outside of it. With it being ranked as No.1 of the Top 10 restaurants to visit in Bangkok on some sites, this place was on the topmost of our list, where we would do anything to visit it, be it sire the driver or to hire a helicopter.

It was a secret place they say, like in a world of itself.  It was fair to say though as the restaurant was detached from the main road. It had a lone path from the main road, size of 2 cars' width leading to its entrance. I always felt Bangkok's building landscape was a bit weird, where a beautiful building can appear out of nowhere. It never felt more true when I saw the restaurant for the first time.

We had visited it for dinner and looking in from outside, the pale orange lights had given an ambiance of romance. Once we entered, the place was quiet- diners who chatted away softly and tables were spaced in a comfortable distance from each other. The décor was perfect. Shelves filled with old bottles of scents were lined up row by row. It gave an acoustic feeling and the lamps committed an antiquated feeling that they have existed longer than they have been there..

When seated down, quick and responsive staff quickly served us and ensured that the nice food was to come in a short while.  The coaster for the cups used was in the design of an used envelope. It had seemed to me that the owner of Karmakamet Diner was not only an outstanding entrepreneur , but also an extremely sentimental one as well.

Food quickly came and the foie gras pasta was excellent. Not a pasta expert but I just felt that it was so nicely cooked and the taste was perfect. Adding on, any food that has a good aftertaste must have been well prepared and cooked with the most heart by the chef. When one takes pride in his work, it shines on the faces of whom the work is prepared for.

The lobster pasta was also excellent. Cooked with cheese and taste was magnificent, unlike any pasta I have tasted even in Pastamania.  The lobster meat was succulent and each bite of the meat was intact, ensuring that every piece of meat torn from the crustacean was to lay as a whole in the mouth when you begin to partake.

The restaurant was also laced with invisible aromas of scents, coming from the scents and oils section. Karmakamet started out as a shop selling scent oils in Chatuchak Market but had grown strongly and opened its first dining restaurant in Silom.

I believed that the owner must have missed someone dear or could still be waiting for someone close to his heart. Beside all the food and serene backdrop of the place, something attracts diners. It is an unseen pull of enchantment that will have people missing this place once they leave and yearn to return to experience it once more. It is as if the owner was waiting for his beloved to come back to him again one day...

Hope on Earth

In Life, we often pick up lessons unknowingly and very most of the times, only learn after a painful process, of which at certain times, regret when changes were not reversible. How do we, humans then lament that life is as such.

Today, I had made the short trip down to a place not too far from my office to get some stuff. After crossing the road, I will always come to a big tree and there would be an old man, about in his 60s and about the age of my father selling tissue paper.

There has been the occasional urge to give something but often, I would just ignore and felt that these people should have approach the relevant places for help and just continue to walk to get my lunch. I would also do the guilty act of telling myself there is always next time.

Today, it was the same. As usual, I was waiting to cross the road. However, this time, I felt that the uncle was really working hard and trying his best to peddle the tissue paper. Strings of people would ignore him but still managed to see 1 kind soul who gave him $5 and refused to take the tissue paper.

The though of doing something the same struck me but again, it was swiftly dispelled when the uncle gave me a protective look, wondering if I am some officer to ask him to go. I felt for a while then that maybe this uncle is an evil guy at home, probably did some bad stuff when he was young and got abandoned and there is no one to blame but himself. Self consolation to justify my own self. Moreover, I had some beef to grind ahead as I was going back to the clinic to meet face to face with the receptionist who had cleverly pulled down the shutters halfway and caused me to have hit it as hard as a baseball bat when I last left the place.

It was a super hot day and my perspiration was dripping non stop even at the ATM. Quickly, money was drawn and I was on my way back to the office, where my beautiful lunch was waiting (ordered in). Again, I came to a rest at the road side while waiting to cross the road. I could not help but look at the old man in pity; he was counting his earnings, cents by cents and coin by coin. He recounted a couple more times before I crossed the road as other colleagues had bumped into me and asked me to cross the road together.

I took a glance at the uncle and he was back peddling more tissue papers once more. Thoughts rained through my mind at this instant.

I then came to a realisation that despite any shortcomings a person may have or crimes that he had done before, sometimes all a person could ask for is 3 simple meals, a shelter and peaceful days to pass. One does not need to eat good food all the time, taste healthy birds nest or even have a membership at the gym or even go travelling to have a so-called enjoyable life. For all the throngs of people who walked past the old man, what were they thinking of? The next holiday? The next date with the girlfriend? The beautiful handbag that has just been purchased? It seemed that the old man was just an occasional irritating fly that had just landed at the edge of your table which you can’t stand the sight of, anyway.

What was the old man’s history, no one will know. However, seeing him counting his coins makes one wonder if he has any money to see a doctor when he is sick. Even in Singapore, there are people who live from hand to mouth on a weekly basis. What about his family? Where are they? Is the old man living alone? Does he have a sickly old wife to take care too? Does he have the luxury to be sick even? Does he have a child who may be disabled?

While selling tissue papers may look easily profitable as one would argue, will anyone want to sit under the hot sun and peddle tissue papers for a living? Was there an underlying health condition that he is not able to work a proper job?

At the end of the day, all he may want is just a simple day where he can earn his keep honestly and not go hungry. Everyone has certain criteria to what makes their day worthwhile. Some may look at money earned, new cards and a beautiful house. To some, it may just be the chance to mingle with loved ones or just a peaceful day to get by. People like the old man toil so hard so that they can walk one step closer to see their life be complete. Yes, there are relevant help available given by the government. However, do we even need the government to teach us humanity?  Social workers are there to help the unfortunate ones to plug the hole, mend it and so that they can continue to be on the way. However, one does not need to be a social worker to help people.

At the end, I went back to office, took some extra cash and bought him ice bottled water. and gave the old man $5/. He was reluctant at first but his face full of gratefulness convinced me that it was definitely not a waste of time. Why procrastinate when we could help someone take another step in making their lives complete.

Sometimes, there may not be ‘another time’.